The Story of the Unforgiving Slave
by LucyCrewe11
Summary: A short, dramatic retelling of Jesus' parable of the unforgiving slave. Written for Nisan 14. One-shot.


**AN: Every year I usually put up a Jesus-related story on Nisan 14, the anniversary of Jesus's death. I wanted this year to be no different. **

**For the record, I know perfectly well that Nisan 14 this year actually falls on _next_ Tuesday (one week exactly from today), but because my internet is a little iffy towards the end of the month, I didn't want to risk this not being up in time.**

**Anyway, this is based on Jesus' illustration of The Unforgiving Slave.**

**Little Lydia is my own invention, added to the story to give a dramatic edge. Everything else, though, is pretty much as it appears in the Bible. I did not bother naming The Unforgiving Slave simply because I thought it took too much focus off the main point.**

A Lesson in Forgiveness

_A dramatic rendering of Jesus' illustration "The Unforgiving Slave"_

The slave's palms were slick with sweat and he was shaking all over. Today, he was meant to pay back all the money he owed to his master, who had generously loaned him ten thousand talents -amounting to 60,000,000 denarii- and he didn't have even a single talent to pay it back.

Garbed in rich purple, the master entered the room and looked expectantly towards the slave. "Well," he asked, "have you the money I loaned you, good slave?"

The slave swallowed hard, gulping down too much air at once, so that he all but_ choked_ and his voice fled from him.

Unable to speak, he shook his head no, sadly avoiding the master's eyes.

The master sighed heavily. "Very well." He sat down on a high, cushioned chair another serving-attendant of his pulled out for him. To this attendant, he ordered, "Let my slave here and his wife and children be sold, and from that I shall get my money back. Also, we must sell his belongings to make up the full amount."

Bursting out weeping, the slave bent down on his knees and put his hands together, daring at last to look up into his master's face. "Dear Master, please..._ Please_... I beg of you... Only give me a little more time, and I promise I will pay it all back to you." He hiccuped on a sob. "I _will_, I swear. You shall get your money back, Master. Only forgive me the delay... And spare me and my family and my few things I am owning." With that, he bowed low to the ground, so that his face touched the floor, and continued pleading with all his heart.

This plea touched the master, moving him with pity. He was a good man, and in his heart of hearts truly loved his slaves, even when they came up short. Why else had he been so ready to loan the money in the first place? Because of their need, and his love and respect for them, for their position and goodness in his household.

To think of this slave's grief, of his being separated from his children and wife, stripped of his few possessions... His tears flowing so steadily now...

"Slave," said the master gently, "go in peace. No debt for you. I hereby cancel it. Go, to you place, to your family."

He could scarcely believe it. Exhaling, he heard himself blithering out, "Thank you, my lord... _Thank_ you..."

"Go." The master smiled down at him kindly. "Will your wife not want to hear the good news?"

"Oh, yes, Master, at once..." He bowed and left in a hurry.

Alas, no sooner had he informed those in his own household of the cancellation of the great debt, the wonderful relief to them all, when he spied a man he knew -a fellow slave- walking across his path.

At once, the slave felt a sudden rush of anger. This man owed him money. About a hundred denarii. And he had not paid back_ any_ of it!

"You!" he snapped, racing over to his fellow.

"W-what is it?" stammered the startled man, for he was afraid of the furious look on the slave's face.

"You ask me _'What is it?'_ do you?" He reached over and put his hands over the man's throat. "Pay back whatever you owe!"

Struggling for breath as the locked fingers around his neck loosened, the man fell to the slave's feet. "Be patient with me, and I-I will pay you back."

Rather than remember the kindness of their master, the slave snapped his fingers and ordered him thrown off into prison.

A few slaves stood by, open-mouthed in horror, watching this unfold.

A younger slave, a little girl, began to weep as the man was dragged out of her sight.

"Don't weep, Lydia," said the slave standing closest to her. "Go, run at once and tell the master what has happened."

So Lydia wiped her eyes and ran to get an audience with the master of the house. She must tell him what she and the other slaves had seen. He had forgiven his slave only for something like _this _to happen!

Indignant, the master sent at once for the slave he had so recently forgiven.

Thinking nothing of it -he and the master were friends, they were on the nicest of terms- the slave came coolly into the room. But then he noticed something that made him uneasy.

Why, there was little Lydia standing beside the seat of the master, hands clasped before her. Was she not one of the slaves who had been standing by when...? And was that not...standing on the other side of the master's chair... It could not be...

It couldn't be, but it _was_...

It was the man he had sent off to prison! What on earth was_ he _doing here?

"Wicked slave!" boomed the master, glowering down at him. "I canceled all that debt for you, spared you, out of kindness!" He looked to Lydia. "And this girl tells me what you did. Should you not have forgiven your fellow slave, as I first forgave _you_?" Then he gestured to the man. "Now he will take your place, and you his. You shall go to prison. I deliver you now to the jailers, who will take you away until you can pay back all of what you owe me."

"Master-"

"No." He held up a hand. "Did you not say, as to this man, that he should not be freed until he had the money to pay you back? Cruel-hearted one! Do you not know that a man cannot earn back what he owes from prison? Where was your mercy? When you ought to of remembered me, you failed and showed your true colours."

And the jailers came, at the master's behest, and dragged the unforgiving slave off to prison forever after that.

There is a great lesson for us all in this tale.

When our friends sin against us, hurt us, or are unable to repay some thing or other we provided them with, what will we do?

Will we remember God, who canceled all our debt, let go of all our sins, and gave us his only begotten son Jesus Christ -who told this story of the unforgiving slave during his ministry on earth- at great cost and pain to himself?

Or, instead, will we be like the wicked slave who choked his fellow man over such a comparatively small amount?

Never may that happen!

Of course, the outcome, is up to each and every one of us.

May God bless our efforts to forgive and choose to do the right thing.

_Amen. _

**AN: Review, if you like.**


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